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Top 5 Cities in Mexico: Readers' Choice Awards 2013

Condé Nast Traveler readers voted San Miguel de Allende the number city in Mexico. Read about all of the best hotels, resorts, airlines, and cruise lines in the world in our Readers' Choice Awards 2013.

Top 5 Cities in Mexico: Readers' Choice Awards 2013

Condé Nast Traveler readers voted San Miguel de Allende the number city in Mexico. Read about all of the best hotels, resorts, airlines, and cruise lines in the world in our Readers' Choice Awards 2013.

Puebla

Culture: 79

Friendliness: 79.3

Atmosphere: 74.4

Restaurants: 73.8

Lodging: 63.5

Shopping: 65.3

"This might be my favorite non-beach city in all of Mexico!" raves one reader, while others praise the cultural tapestry of "writers, musicians, actors and artists" and the city's "exciting history and tradition.

Mérida

Culture: 79.2

Friendliness: 80.7

Atmosphere: 79.5

Restaurants: 68.9

Lodging: 72

Shopping: 58

The capital of Yucatán Mexico's new capital of good life—a quiet, harmonious haven of Mayan culture, magnificent mansions, and increasingly masterful food, art, and design. One reader noted that the city "tries to make all travelers welcome."

4.
Morelia

Culture: 92.9

Friendliness: 90.5

Atmosphere: 90.5

Restaurants: 71.4

Lodging: 68.3

Shopping: 61.1

One reader called Morelia a "resort area with all the luxuries and amenities that you may wish for," plus a perfect climate. But it has gravitas too: The historic city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, packed with more than 200 buildings from the 16th century. There are "great clubs and music" if you feel like going out on the town after a day of taking in all that history. "Once you leave, you will want to return there immediately."

3.
Guanajuato

Culture: 88.5

Friendliness: 88.7

Atmosphere: 86.8

Restaurants: 72.1

Lodging: 70

Shopping: 67.7

Guanajuato is a "marvelous place that in many ways is more interesting than nearby cities of greater renown for tourists, a true Mexico." One reader thought it was "one of the best walkable cities in the world" so you'll be able to take in the "abundance of parks, plazas and sidewalk cafes."

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Culture: 80.3

Friendliness: 70

Atmosphere: 80.3

Restaurants: 81.5

Lodging: 89.4

Shopping: 70.4

Dubbed "the Geneva of Latin America" by one reader, San Cristobal de las Casas offers a "mix of colonial and native culture that is beautiful to see, from the buildings to the art." Readers commented that there's, "tons of shopping for all price points" and when it comes to food, vegetarian and vegan options are not hard to find. In the square next to the well-known Cathedral, "there is always some cultural presentation with music going on, especially on weekends."

1.
San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende nabbed the No. 1 spot thanks to its "great atmosphere, excellent restaurants, culture and ambiance galore." The "lack of [traffic] lights and billboards" makes the region "romantically and historically beautiful, and the city itself offers a "traditional feeling of a small town in the heart of Mexico." "An amazing place to be."